Pianissimo device.



PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906.

0. MORGAN. PIANISSIMO DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 15, 1906.

ATTORNEYS.

CARLOS MORGAN, OF OASTLETON, NEW YORK.

PIANISSHVIO DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 19, 1906.

Application filed January 15, 1906. Serial No. 296,016.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OARLos MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oastleton, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianissimo Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to actions for upright pianos; and the object of my invention is to so construct and arrange the various parts contributing to the action of an upright piano that there will be no lost motion between the key and the hammer when the hammer is held closer to the piano strings by the soft pedal.

I accomplish this object by means of the mechanism illustrated in the acompanying drawing, which is a side elevation of my piano-action, showing the elements constituting the movements from one key to the hammer.

A represents the frame, which supports the elements constituting the action, only that part of frame on the farther side being shown.

B is the key of the piano. The key B is a simple lever turning on a pivot I). When the outer end of the key is pressed downward, it turns on the pivot b and raises up the inner end I).

C is a sticker in an upright position, the lower end of which rests upon the inner end I) of the key B, so that pressing downward the outer end of the key B will move upward the sticker 0. The upper end of the sticker 0 rests in contact with the under side of the whippen D. The under side of the whippen D is in the form of an inclined plane, and the top end of the sticker 0 is beveled to correspond with the inclined under surface of the whippen D, so that when the sticker O is moved forward or backward horizontally it will slide along the under surface of the whippenD and will raise or lower the whippen D. The upper beveled surface of the sticker C is long enough so that it will always be in contact with the lowest point of the under surface of the whippen D. The movement forward or backward along the under surface of the whippen D while raising and lowering the whippen will always leave the point of contact the samethat is, the lowest point of the under bearing-surface of the whippen will always be in contact with the upper beveled surface of the sticker. Therefore the same force upon the piano-key will raise the whippen whatever may be the position of the sticker, and thus the touch is not changed by use of the soft pedal. Attached from the top of the whippen D by the pivot d is the jack E, extending upward. The lower end of the jack E has an L 6 extending in the same direction as the whippen D and rests upon the spring S,which rests upon the whippen D and allows the jack E a limited movement. The upper end of the jack E rests against the lower corner of the hammerbutt F, neXt adjoining and partly under a beveled. side, so that when the jack E is raised it will push forward against the hammer-butt, turning the hammer-butt upon the pivot f, by which it is pivoted upon the frame of the action. As the hammer-butt F turns upon its pivot the end of the jack will slide along the beveled side of the hammer-butt. Vhen the parts of action carrying jack return to place, the spring S under the L of the jack will push jack back to place. Attached to the hammer-butt F is the hammer-shank G, to which is attached the hammer H, which is designed to strike the strings of the piano.

I is a hammer-rest rail, against which the hammer-shanks rest. The hammer-rest rail is attached to the soft pedal of the piano in the usual way, (not shown in the drawing) so that by pressing upon the pedal the ham- 1nerrest rail is moved forward, moving the hammer-shank G and the hammer H forward nearer the piano-strings.

As usually manufactured when the hammer-rest rail is pressed against the hammershanks by the soft pedal pressing the ham mer nearer all the strings of the piano the movement draws away some of the connecting elements from the others, leaving a vacant space between some of the connecting elements, so that the keys in the piano will have to be pressed down for some distance before they commence to act upon the sticker or other connecting elements, thus resulting in lost motion when the soft pedal is used. To overcome this difficulty, I construct the various parts as above described, and. above the lower or sticker rail J, I place another similar rail K, hinged to the sticker-rail J by the pivot J I connect the sticker C to the auxiliary rail K by the link L, connected to the auxiliary rail K by the pivot L and inclining downward and connected to the sticker C by the pivot L at the point lower than the pivot L. I also attach to the aux iliary rail K the arm M, extending beyond the sticker 0, and connect the arm M to the ham= mer-rest rail I by the rod N. Y

O is an arm or rod by which the hammer rest rail I is attached to the frame A; The arm O being fixedly attached to the hammerrest rail I and pivotally attached to the frame A so that when the hammer-rest rail I is moved forward toward the strings of the piano by the soft pedal, it will turn upon the arm 0 and be raised to a somewhat higher position, the arm 0 turning on the pivot fixed to the frame A. When the pressure is removed from the soft pedal, the hammer-rest rail I returns to position and is held at rest by the arm A of the frame. When the pressure is applied to the soft pedal, the hammer-rest rail is moved toward the strings of the piano and raised as above described. It will at the same time raise the rod N and the arm M, which is fixedly attached to the auxiliary rail K, thus tipping the rail K upon the hinge or pivot J and at the same time moving the link L and the sticker O in the same direction.

The upper inclined surface of the sticker C moving along the inclined lower surface of the whippen D raises the whippen D and the jack E, keeping the upper end of the jack E in contact with the hammer-butt F, so that each element contributing to the movement of the hammer will be continued to be in contact with the element upon which it acts, so that there will be no lost movement. Thus the key of the piano will respond instantly to the touch of the operator.

The contacts of the various elements constituting the action are made soft and noiseless by felt facings, as are ordinarily used in piano-actions. I also employ the usual adjuncts and auxiliary parts usually used in piano-actions, some of which are shown in the drawings, but not described, as not being necessary to understand my present inven tion.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1, In an upright-piano action, a key, a sticker operated thereby, a whippen having its lower surface beveled to correspond to the beveled end of said sticker and in contact therewith, the beveled end of said sticker being of suflicient length to remain in continual contact with the lowest point of the lower surface of the whippen, means for moving the beveled end of said sticker along the beveled surface of said whippen, thus raising and lowering said whippen and means for operating the hammer from said whippen in combination with said hammer, substantially as described.

2. In an upright-piano action, a key, a sticker operated thereby, a whippen having its lower surface beveled to correspond with the beveled end of the sticker and in contact therewith, a rail fixedly attached to the frame supporting the action, an auxiliary rail hinged horizontally thereto, a link connecting said auxiliary rail to said sticker whereby when said auxiliary rail is turned on its hinges said link will move the beveled end of said sticker along the beveled surface of said whippen thereby raising and lowering said whippen, the beveled end of said sticker being of sufficient length to remain in continual contact with the lowest point of the lower surface of the whippen, in combination with a hammer-rest rail and means for operating said auxiliary rail from said hammerrest rail and a hammer and intermediate connections for operating the same from said whippen, substantially as described.

3. In an upright-piano action, a key, a sticker operated thereby, a whippen having its lower surface beveled to correspond to the beveled edge of the sticker, a horizontal auxiliary rail hinged to some stationary part of the action, a link pivoted to said auxiliary rail at one end and pivoted to said sticker at the other end at a point lower down than the point where it is pivoted to said rail, in combination with a hammer-rest rail, a rod extending downward from said hammer-rest rail, an arm fixedly attached at one end to said auxiliary rail and pivotally attached at the other end to said rod, whereby the raising 9 5 of said hammer-rest rail will tip said auxiliary rail on its hinges, the beveled end of said sticker being of sufficient length to remain in continual contact with the lowest point of the lower surface of the whippen, and a hammer and intermediate connections for operating the same from said whippen, substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARLOS MORGAN. Witnesses IVALTER E. WVARD, DUDLEY B. WADE. 

